Your Challenge Today:
Eat to live!
By Bernadette Kathryn, LMT, IHLC
One should eat to live,
not live to eat.
~ Moliere
I love this concept ~ it revolutionized my whole being when I realized that food had a purpose aside from tasting good to me. I know that sounds a little pathetic, many people know me well and wonder what rock have I been living under. I tell them that I have lived under a rock inside a cave and that’s why I may not know what the current ‘trend’ is in whatever. And, that is true, I am not a trendy gal. I have been on a mission for a long time to improve my health and help others do the same.
You see, I grew up as a “latchkey kid, ” and that particular situation does present certain challenges. I suppose it’s the same with anything, kids with a “silver spoon” have their own set of challenges, no judgments here ~ just observations. My mom had to work to take care of myself and my brothers. We were left to do certain ‘chores’ around the house, and the limited budget dictated what we had to eat, wear and could do for fun. Due to the limitations of life at the time and growing up in the South, I was not exposed to a lot of different foods. I learned much later about food, nutrition and the direct impact they have on our health.
Food choices are much more critical to our physical and emotional well-being than most would want us to believe. What we choose to eat does have a direct impact on our body’s chemistry. Some foods and beverages are extremely toxic and wreak havoc on our body, mentally and physically. Fast foods were created for us to be able to eat fast, keep moving and get back to work (or whatever we were doing) quickly, bypassing the sit-down meal we need. Fast food restaurants are purposefully ‘cheap’ or inexpensive to lure us into a quick meal on hectic days. While this concept is appealing for obvious reasons, it is NOT in our best interest due to the health ramifications of eating in this manner.
Food is fuel; food is nutrition and diet are healing — or not, depending on which foods you choose. I hope that we all make friends with cooking, eating healthy and choosing the best quality foods we can reasonably afford. Food can and should taste good, be good for your body and most of all be enjoyable … that is part of my mission! I want you to enjoy your food, love the experience of eating and most of all know you are taking care of yourself in the process.
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Good job Debbie – I have to say I found it really a challenge to go to Disney. The food was less than perfect to say the least and I was a tad grumpy as a result.
There are many great salad dressings that you can make — keep in mind — you do need healthy fat, so don’t go for the low-fat, no-fat versions of pre-made bottled anything, please!
Consider using your salad dressing as the opportunity to get your healthy fat into your meal and use a good quality EVOO, avocado or nut oil. Your body will thank you — coconut oil is also a good option…….
Traveling is a challenge. I am having some success in restaurants by choosing salad options with a protein added. The only downside is the delicious dressing. I am heading in the right direction. My first project when I get home will be to try out lie calorie dressings.